Politics News & Articles
PM Luxon meets with President Xi Jinping
6 hours ago | 41 viewsPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has met with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. “My meeting with President Xi was a valuable opportunity to reflect on the depth and breadth of this important relationship, and to reaffirm our bilateral ties,” Mr Luxon says. “I outlined how our strong and innovative economic relationship has grown to cover a broad range of areas.
Tags: Beijing Chinese Christopher luxon Great hall of the people Indo - pacific Li qiang National people ’ s congress New zealand Pacific Pacific islands forum Ukraine Xi jinping Zhao lejiLuxon wraps up successful Shanghai visit
1 day ago | 75 viewsPrime Minister Christopher Luxon has concluded the successful Shanghai leg of his official visit to China, accompanied by Ministers Louise Upston and Mark Mitchell and a delegation of senior New Zealand business leaders from across the food and beverage, health and wellbeing, education, and tourism sectors. “Our bilateral trade relationship with China is one of our most important, with two-way trade exceeding NZ$39 billion in the year ending March 2025. “This relationship accounts for more than 20 per cent of New Zealand’s total goods and services exports,” Mr Luxon says.
Tags: Auckland Beijing China eastern airlines Chinese Christopher luxon Fudan university Louise upston Mark mitchell New zealand Shanghai South america Zealand Zealanders electronic travel authority62 percent fewer scam texts reported after Internal Affairs crackdown
1 day ago | 59 viewsMinister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden says the Department of Internal Affairs [the Department] has made significant progress in tackling scams in New Zealand, with a 62 per cent drop in reports of SMS scams in 2024 from 2023, following the Department’s investigations into scammers. The Department’s 2024 Digital Messaging Transparency Report, published this week, details some of the actions the Department has taken to catch people perpetrating scams, including by conducting search warrants and seizing equipment. “Scams cause serious financial and emotional harm, often preying on vulnerable people in our communities.
Tags: Auckland Brooke van velden Department Department of internal affairs Digital Government Messaging transparency report New zealand Scott simpson Van veld ZealandNew Russia sanctions target enablers of war, including Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’
1 day ago | 83 viewsForeign Minister Winston Peters has announced new sanctions on crucial enablers of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine. This latest round of sanctions targets actors involved in Russia's military-industrial complex, supporters from North Korea, Iran, and Belarus, as well as vessels that are part of Russia's ‘shadow fleet’. “New Zealand must continue to hold Russia and its enablers accountable.
Tags: Belarus Ministry of foreign affairs and trade New zealand North korea Russia sanctions act Russian Ukraine Winston petersSafety of New Zealanders in Middle East paramount
1 day ago | 38 viewsThe safety of New Zealanders in the Middle East is a pressing priority for the Government, Foreign Minister Winston Peters says. “We do not want New Zealanders in harm’s way,” Mr Peters says. “While we face very serious practical constraints of a conflict zone and closed airspace, we will continue to do all we can to help,” Mr Peters says.
Tags: Australia Azerbaijan Government Iranland Middle east New zealand Winston peters ZealandSaying yes to housing growth
2 days ago | 29 viewsNew Zealanders have an opportunity to help shape the new planning system replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA) through public consultation on removing unnecessary barriers to housing growth, says Housing and RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop. “New Zealand’s house prices are among the most expensive in the developed world – a direct result of our current planning system making it too hard for our cities to grow up and out. “Fixing our housing crisis involves fixing the fundamentals of our housing market - freeing up land for development and removing unnecessary planning barriers, improving infrastructure funding and financing to support urban growth, and providing incentives for communities and councils to support growth.
Tags: Auckland Chris bishop Christchurch Housing National New zealand Policy statement on urban development Resource management act StandardsGordon Wilson Flats’ heritage protection goneburger
3 days ago | 29 viewsThe derelict and unsafe Gordon Wilson Flats in Wellington will lose its protected heritage status and become eligible for demolition through an amendment to the Resource Management Act (RMA) in the coming weeks, RMA Reform and Housing Minister Chris Bishop says. “The Gordon Wilson Flats were used as social housing until 2012, when an engineer’s report showed the building was so unsafe that large slabs of the concrete exterior could come off in an earthquake or even a strong wind. The building has sat vacant since then, becoming more dangerous and more of an eyesore every year,” Mr Bishop says.
Tags: Chris bishop Gordon wilson Gordon wilson flat Gordon wilson flats Resource management Resource management act Rma reform and housing System changes University Victoria Wellington Wellington city council Wellington city district Wilson flat Wilson flatsPriority One: Twelve months in, 2100 children housed
4 days ago | 32 viewsIn the first twelve months of the Government’s flagship Priority One policy, nearly 1000 families with more than 2,124 children have been moved from dank emergency housing motel rooms to secure, stable homes. “The largescale use of emergency housing was one of the biggest public policy failures in New Zealand history. Under the previous government’s watch, thousands of children were consigned to grow up in cramped, dingy motel rooms at a cost to taxpayers of $1 million every day at its peak,” Housing Minister Chris Bishop says.
Tags: Chris bishop Emergency housing New zealand Priority one Priority oneity oneIncreases to paid parental leave rates to help families
4 days ago | 26 viewsNew parents can expect more support to take time away from work to care for their children from 1 July, with an increase to the maximum weekly rate of paid parental leave up from $754. 87 to $788. 66 per week, Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden announced today.
Tags: Brooke van velden Employment Employment new zealand Paal leave Place relations and safety Protection act